Education Minister: Life is not perfect, don’t take free education for granted

MINISTER of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly says education is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most significant and consistent investments in its citizenry, and should not be taken for granted.

In a video message issued by the Ministry of Education on September 1, Gadsby-Dolly said, “In TT, we offer free, high-quality, life-changing education to our young citizens from early childhood to secondary education, and our children benefit from highly-subsidised, world-class tertiary education.

"We must never take this for granted.

"What we have here in TT is admired and desired by many countries in the region and globally.”

She called on students to remain focused and to pay no mind to distractions that might come along.

“While everything in your home, community, and even in your school may not be perfect, that in itself can teach you an important life lesson.

"Life is not perfect, and the most successful people in the world are those who have made it through difficulties and have achieved their goals in spite of that.”

She lauded teachers for their continued work, saying that the work they did developed students, which were the nation’s greatest asset. She also called on parents to be more involved in school activities, saying their input would help with school success.

“Parents, the education of our children depends on you as much as it depends on our teachers,” she said. “The students cannot work at school without your input, and the school’s job will be so much more successful when they have the parents’ full support.

“Join the PTA (parent-teachers association), take full responsibility for your children and make your presence felt in their schools and their lives.

"My fellow citizens in TT, we are losing too many of our young people to crime and criminality. The more students that we keep positively engaged in our educational pursuits, the more unavailable they will be to criminals.

"To do this we need all hands working together.”